Friday, 9 January 2015

Hey folks, it's been awhile. Happy new year to everyone, hope the Christmas season was good to everyone.

2015 is upon us and so is old man winter. We had a great fall, even managed to ride right into December. Unfortunately that has changed, with the appearance of Jack Frost.

I'm sure by now everyone, except those living in coastal BC, have tucked their bikes in the back of garage as battery tenders trickle away, eagerly awaiting spring weather and a new riding season.

I have spent the last couple of weeks finishing up the Fundy Adventure Rally (FAR) promo vid. It's almost done. Then I'll be getting to work on the Deer Lake 67 ultra marathon video. So that should keep me preoccupied over the cold, snowy, dark, and miserable months of January and February.

I'm also writing a book, or at least attempting to. I am not revealing anything about it, other than the main character rides a bike, and is on a journey of freedom and discovery.

Plans for this coming season? Well, as usual, my head is full of ideas and I cannot stay focused on anything for too long. ADD maybe? Typically most of my ideas and future projects never make it past a piece of paper, or even fail to make it onto paper.

Off course my vacation schedule also plays havoc on some of my plans. For instance, Pete is returning to his roots this year and will be rowing a lot more. He was once a Canada Games rower, and was probably the only guy to row across the Bay of Fundy in a single scull. Nuts, right? Well, now he wants to something called the Blackburn Challenge. It's an open ocean race in Massachusetts that is over 20 miles long. Nuts again.

Being the video/editing nut that I am, I figured this would make a great documentary, and since I wasn't competing, could focus all my efforts into filming it, and Pete could concentrate on rowing. Let's hope I can get the time off.

Of course there is the great Honda Rally Build. That might be shelved this year due to financial constraints, I cannot afford two bikes at this time, and I don't think I can live with a 250 alone. Next year maybe. My wife renovated our kitchen and my bank account this month!

I have for a long time wanted a Sportster type bike. Small, simple and something I can easily attach a sidecar to for the dogs.

So, if you follow the blog at all I am looking at getting a Yamaha Bolt. My buddy Tim owns the local Yamaha dealership, and has a nice 2014 leftover that would suit me just fine.

Now that brings me to my next possible project for the year. Biker rallies??? WTF? you say. Yes, I going to a traditional, cruiserfest, assless chap, dew rag wearing, burnout pit rally. Don't worry, I will not dressing up as a pirate, but I do have a nice collection of black t-shirts, so I can blend in nicely. Not sure I can pull off the dew rag, nor do I ever want to wear chaps. If I spend the rest of the winter doing squats, I maybe able to pull off leather pants.

I have ridden sport bikes, dirt bikes, adv bikes, and scooters all my life, but have never experienced this, loved by many, hated by some, type of motorcycling. In fact the only rally I have been to is the Fundy Adventure Rally. 'Arris forgot to have the burnout pit, or wet t-shirt contest (that however would have been ugly, and emotionally scarring)

There just so happens to be a couple of such rallies in the Maritimes. Atlanticade is probably one of the biggest, and they just announced that the rally is moving back to Moncton from PEI. That's a quick one hour ride. It is also taking place during Ribfest. Another bonus for the beer bellied biker. Maybe those dewrags come in handy for wiping BBQ sauce off your face?

The other rally is across the Bay from me in Digby, Nova Scotia. It's called the Wharf Rat Rally. It features such events as arm wrestling, and the best tattoo competition. Time to get inked up, and work on that arm sleeve. From what I can tell, the Wharf Rat seems to be a more hardcore rally, more in line with the grand daddy of them all..........

Sturgis is in South Dakota, and is a hell of long ride from here. Of course if I was a true blogger/vlogger/film maker I would make the trek. Alas I only have so much time off, and will have to make sacrifices.

Typical rally participants. Could I pull off wearing pasties?

Something you won't see at the FAR.

Hell, I may even go to both, to fully experience the cruiser lifestyle. I'm gonna film and try to interview as many people as possible, and make a funny, and satirical look at the cruiser bike rally from an outsiders prospective.

My big motorcycle trip of the year will be a ride to New Jersey for my annual training on one of our airplanes. The simulator is located in Teteboro, so instead of flying, I decided to ride since it will be in late May. I may also take a week vacation afterwards and head further west to Kentucky.

Berea, Kentucky is where my grandfather went to school back in 1929, at you guessed it....Berea College. So I have always wanted to visit the place. It should be an interesting trip.

That's it for now, once the FAR video is complete and gets the blessing from 'Arris, I'll post it up here.

Vimeo

Motosport Clearance

Motosport.com

Follow Us by Email

How Many Bored People Paying Attention to This Blog

SPONSORS

About Me

44 years old, married to a wonderful woman with two awesome daughters, a crazy Chocolate Lab named Molly, and a Yellow Lab named Abbie.

I am also a very amateur film maker and editor, prefer editing to filming, and my big love is writing. I currently have one blog about my love of motorcycles, specifically Adventure and off road riding, and a new blog on my latest passion ultra running.

I am also working with the online magazine CMG (Canada Moto Guide) on a video for the Fundy Adventure Rally, and hopefully some more exciting projects in the future.

Be sure to checkout my 5 part video series Two Wheels Through the Big Land" with my pal Peter Oxley.